Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics

Andreas Bonn Medal awarded to Sebastiaan de Vet

29 November 2013

Once every 5 years the Society for the promotion of Natural Sciences, Medicine and Surgery (GNGH) awards the Andreas Bonn medal in the fields of natural sciences, exact sciences and medicine for original PhD research. Sebastiaan de Vet received the medal in the domain natural sciences on 29 November for his PhD thesis ‘When the glacier left the volcano’, which he prepared at the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) of the University of Amsterdam.

Twenty-three young scientists were nominated for the Andreas Bonn Medals
during this round. A jury of the society decided to award the medals to
Alexander Vlaar (domain medicine, Amsterdam Medical Centre), Job Briët (domain
exact sciences, Centre for Mathematics and Informatics) and De Vet (domain
natural sciences, IBED). According to the jury, ‘Dr de Vet has performed a
fascinating study of the interactions of ice and wind with volcanic glass.
Remarkable is the fact that the entire study was completed within 21 months.
Equally remarkable are the great efforts that Dr de Vet has made to share his
enthusiasm for the results, and for science in general, with a broad audience.’

Andreas Bonn

The physician Andreas Bonn founded the Society for the promotion of Natural
Sciences, Medicine and Surgery (GNGH) in 1790. A medal in his honour is awarded
every five years for the best PhD theses at the University of Amsterdam in the
fields of natural sciences, exact sciences and medicine. De Vet, who currently
works as Science Officer and post-doc for IBED in the Earth Surface Science
group received the award on 29 November at the annual meeting of the society.